Amazon Boycott, Anyone?

[iris lilies]

I think about how Amazon is a pretty new business model, relatively speaking. I looked at my account, and I was able to scroll as far back as 1995. My first order was December 11, 2002--and I spent $102 on five books--I'm guessing they were Christmas presents.

So in 23 years (one-third of my life) it has become embedded in a way that I now find hard to relinquish. I like the ease and convenience, the data history, the range of items to purchase, and other reasons. I could give up the Prime benefits, and I would definitely not miss Prime video because it's not as good as it used to be. But, "a luxury once tasted becomes a necessity" and, alas, I've found that Amazon comes close to being a luxury-turned-necessity.

But I would love to cut the cord.

As far as shopping local, I'm lucky in that my needs have diminished over the past few years and my area, while rural, is very friendly to small business. I tried a "shop local" personal challenge at Christmas time and it wasn't that hard to simply not shop, and then when I shopped, visit one of the retailers here.

Point is--I did without Amazon for 50 years, and I'm sure I could do without it again.

Bezos started with books and ran a book selling operation for, what, a decade and a half? Before moving into other products

in my library’s book buying operation we used Amazon in those early days for various kinds of bibliographic information including availability because it was, at the time, better than our main suppliers’ databases. Certainly it was glitzier.
So, I have a soft spot in my heart for Amazon because we used it for years and did not buy books from them, ha ha. I suppose you all would think that’s a great FU to Bezos.

One of the downsides of having Amazon on the web available to everyone is that our library employees would be frustrated when we would tell them “sorry, we can’t get [a particular title.]” And they would whine “ but it’s available on Amazon, just look there! “

The reality of those days was that stock availability didn’t really show on Amazon just the fact that the book existed, once existed, or was scheduled to exist in the future. Lots of pre-publication promotion took place for books that never were published.

A great thing about Amazon and later bibliographic databases was that they blurred the line between the old-fashioned “out of print “ and currently available status. Now it doesn’t really matter whether a book is “in print” with copies available from the publisher because near-new used copies are available all over the place.

[Rogar]

I see in the NPR news today they are saying there is another mass of Wash Post subscription cancelations. Probably not to do with any boycott, but economics might be catching up with the boligarchs. I was reading that Tesla sales are down 40% in Europe, in spite of other car brand sales increasing.

[littlebittybobby]

okay--i get the non-fiction books i read from like Goodwill or places like that, but not from Bozo & of course don't intend to purchase a Testla even though they make a good street racer yet are q u i e t. This was demonstrated during the cruise nights last year. Yup. But yeah---i'm not actively boycotting anything, right now. Just keeping my level of consumption low. Hope that helps you kids some.

[happystuff]

Did today's boycott... no problem. I think I shop Amazon once or twice a year, as I prefer ebay (can usually find the same item for the same price if not cheaper). When I worked for an online retailer, I saw how badly Amazon treated their third party sellers... they are making big bucks off of them! (Our company offered free shipping on EVERYTHING, but Amazon would always charge the shipping if item was sold off their website.)

Anyway, easy for me to NOT use Amazon.

[Alan]

I didn't buy anything today from Amazon or Walmart or Target or Kroger or anywhere else people like to boycott. It had nothing to do with making a statement, I just didn't need anything so please don't give me credit for standing up to evil. I may fall off the wagon tomorrow.

[ToomuchStuff]

I can't say that I will boycott them. I can't get out of running the restaurant/working seven days a week, but I can limit my public exposure somewhat (stay in the kitchen, let others help customers, not go out to stores but order online for home delivery).
I'm actually having a side effect from the infusion they gave me Monday. Face bright red, "chemo pimples" (not actual pimples), dry skin, etc. Didn't happen immediately while there. Trying to figure out what I need, or if we need to adjust my infusions, won't hear back until Monday, and I expect I may order whatever is needed online.
Going to try to work on some of my estate stuff this week. Bunch of disasters at the restaurant, as well as medical with "ti", that I have had to deal with, didn't leave me much time to do what I had hoped this week.

[rosarugosa]

I didn't buy anything today from Amazon or Walmart or Target or Kroger or anywhere else people like to boycott. It had nothing to do with making a statement, I just didn't need anything so please don't give me credit for standing up to evil. I may fall off the wagon tomorrow.

Last night, I did reflect on the fact that I most likely would have had a "no spend" day even without the shopping blackout thing going on.

(I placed 36 orders with Amazon in 2024, and 15 of these were for Mom supplies. I don't have Prime).

[early morning]

Well I'm back to Amazon today, ordered new Ukrainian flags.

[ejchase]

I think about how Amazon is a pretty new business model, relatively speaking. I looked at my account, and I was able to scroll as far back as 1995. My first order was December 11, 2002--and I spent $102 on five books--I'm guessing they were Christmas presents.

So in 23 years (one-third of my life) it has become embedded in a way that I now find hard to relinquish. I like the ease and convenience, the data history, the range of items to purchase, and other reasons. I could give up the Prime benefits, and I would definitely not miss Prime video because it's not as good as it used to be. But, "a luxury once tasted becomes a necessity" and, alas, I've found that Amazon comes close to being a luxury-turned-necessity.

But I would love to cut the cord.

As far as shopping local, I'm lucky in that my needs have diminished over the past few years and my area, while rural, is very friendly to small business. I tried a "shop local" personal challenge at Christmas time and it wasn't that hard to simply not shop, and then when I shopped, visit one of the retailers here.

Point is--I did without Amazon for 50 years, and I'm sure I could do without it again.

I totally relate, Catherine. I've gotten very dependent on the ease and convenience. But I look at it like vegetarianism. I haven't given up meat entirely, but I've stopped bothering to try recipes with meat and cook all-vegetarian at home, so I just naturally eat meat very rarely. If I could make small changes - check to see if items I buy regularly and know I'll use are available by mail elsewhere - I can reduce my use of it and hopefully, over time, grow less dependent.

[ejchase]

Well I'm back to Amazon today, ordered new Ukrainian flags.